Forgetful Friends
by Sabrina06
Summary: Gretchen is Jr. Leader to a local Fireside Girls' Troop. When almost everyone forgot her birthday, Gretchen tries to keep a stiff upper lip. She also has her eye on a certain someone, though she's not sure if they're interested in her. Full length 'Coffee Talk Chapter 37: Dispirited Gretchen'. SPOILER: Ferb/Gretchen & Phineas/Isabella
1. Chapter 1

**Anyone who claims that I am the owner of Phineas & Ferb or anything else Disney related has pulled the wool over your eyes. I do not own any copyrights for anything. In this case I would like to extend thanks to Jeff, Dan & Disney for the creation of Phineas and Ferb.**

**AN: This story is the full-length version of the 'Coffee Talk: Chap 37 - Dispirited Gretchen'. Here, we find out what happened before she got her chocolate fix. We start our tale in the middle of November one and a half weeks prior.**

Gretchen got home from another one of the Fireside Girls' Tuesday evening meetings. She was now a Junior Leader to the local troop, seeing as she was almost 14-years-old. Tonight, the girls argued and fought about everything and when Gretchen tried to intervene... they all turned on her. She got glue in her hair, ink on her blouse and rips in her jeans.

She went to her room, pulled out her homework and started her assignments. "Ugh, that's the most preposterous question I've ever had to answer in my life." She complained as she wrote out the answer without consulting her text book.

Gretchen was just finishing her assignment when her phone rang. She pulled it out of her purse, "Hello?" she answered. "No Phineas, tomorrow we're studying. I told you, Tuesdays and Saturdays I'm busy with the Fireside Girls. I don't know why the teacher is forcing you to study with me. If you're so opposed to it, take it up with him!" She yelled into the phone then disconnected the call. A few moments later her phone signalled an incoming text.

She looked at it, the message was from Ferb. _He's apologising for his brother... again. He really needs to stop doing that._ She thought to herself. As she put her phone in her pocket and went to the kitchen for something to drink. _I know he's trying to keep the peace; that's what I like about him. He's thoughtful, he cares... he understands._ Her thoughts continued.

Ferb leaned against the kitchen wall, he kept checking his phone. _It's been five minutes since I sent her the text, she's always responded before._ He thought to himself then put his phone in his pocket and drew himself a glass of water before heading back upstairs. He went into his shared room and observed as Phineas lay on his bed talking on the phone, presumably to Isabella.

"Then she said I should... and I quote... 'take it up with him'. She was actually yelling at me for something that's not even my fault." Phineas complained to the poor soul on the other end of the conversation. "I know she's your best friend Iz, but the last time Gretchen and I had to work on a project together we were in grade 5 and she was a domineering little..." Phineas looked up and saw the stern look on Ferb's face. "...Ferb? What's your problem?"

Ferb shook his head and left the room. He leaned up against the wall and pulled out his phone again; he started another text to Gretchen. His finger hovered over the 'send' button for a moment... he then cancelled the message. _I wish I could talk to her... or just about anyone for that matter. It's always the same, 'What's Phineas doing? What are Phineas' plans?' I just want to answer 'He's currently breathing and his plans are to continue to do so.' Do I look like his keeper? Actually, yes. I do look like his keeper, if it wasn't for me, he'd have been crushed by one of his inventions years ago._ Ferb thought to himself as he jammed his phone into his pocket.

Phineas walked out of the shared room and descended the stairs. Ferb went back into the room, sat at his desk and opened up his part of the assignment; Milly was his partner. Ferb's phone indicated an incoming text, it was Milly asking if he was ready to work on the project. He texted back that he was and that the secured link was active and gave her the password to the project files.

Gretchen was putting the finishing touches on one project when her phone rang. "Hello?" She answered without looking at the caller ID. "Isabella, hi. Yes, you were there when I told him I wasn't available on Tuesdays and Saturdays. Look, I just don't care. If he wants to switch partners fine. I'll do the project on my own. Are you over at their place right now? Okay, I'll see you tomorrow, bye." She hung up the phone and it promptly rang again. With a humph, Gretchen answered. "Hello? Phineas. Right. Right. Sure. Uh-huh. Fine. Bye."

Gretchen pressed some buttons on her phone, then put it away.

Ferb was working on the project with Milly when she responded to one of his texts. Ferb smiled and made a note on a scrap paper.

It wasn't particularly late, only 830pm when the doorbell sounded. Phineas ran to the front door and opened it. He smiled at his friend, Isabella Garcia-Shapiro as she stood there. "Come in, we can talk in my room." Phineas said and followed her up the stairs. They walked into the boys' shared room and Phineas flopped down on his bed and Isabella lounged on Ferb's. Ferb looked over his monitor and raised an eyebrow at them.

"So, you're really going to tell the teacher that you can't work with Gretchen because she's too bossy?" Isabella asked and Phineas nodded. "Yeah, she just takes over the entire project. You know, if I remain her partner for this project... she'll end up doing all the work and I get half the credit."

Ferb stood up and emerged from behind his desk. "Isabella, I thought that Gretchen was your best friend." He asked the girl lounging on his bed. She looked up at him. "She is, it's just that she's been really..." Isabella started and Ferb raised an eyebrow at her encouraging her to finish her thought. After a moment, Isabella whispered "... stressed lately, between school and being a Jr. Leader of the Fireside Girls. She's always strived to be the best and anything less than perfect is unacceptable." She finished and Ferb crossed his arms over his chest and stared blankly at her. "She'll forget about this whole thing by morning, she always does." Isabella said and laughed lightly. Ferb blinked at her and left the room. _No, she doesn't. It eats her up inside that she can't please everyone all the time._ He thought.

Isabella looked at the door as it closed, then asked Phineas, "Why does he always listen in on everyone's conversations?" He shook his head. "I guess it's because everyone holds a conversation in his presence. I didn't even notice that he was at the computer." Phineas said and looked at the chair that was in front of the window.

**Chapter 2 will be posted once I run it through editing.**


	2. Chapter 2

In the morning Phineas awoke before the alarm went off, again. He crept out of bed and crossed over to where his step-brother was sleeping. _It's not fair. Everyday it's the same thing, girls always asking... 'Is Ferb going to be there, what are Ferb's plans for later? Do you think Ferb would go out with me?' You might be my brother, but sometimes you're a real pain._ He thought to himself before pouncing on his brother to wake him up.

"Get up. Time to get ready." Phineas said to the lad who was trying to desperately cling to the last fragments of sleep. "Give me a minute, will you." Ferb mumbled back as he stretched his legs before swinging them out of bed.

Phineas went to the bathroom, and got ready before heading downstairs for breakfast. Ferb took his seat at the table just as his brother was finishing his second helping. "So, Ferb... are you ready for our science test?" Phineas inquired and Ferb shrugged his shoulders and took the offered plate from his mother.

The boys got to school, went to their lockers and started pulling their books for their first period classes. "Whatcha' dooin'?" Isabella called as she approached with Adyson, Milly and Gretchen. "Oh, you know... the usual." Phineas replied and Ferb stoically looked at a point down the hallway above the girls' heads.

Milly casually glanced at her friends. "Ferb, we've still got a bit more work to finish up on our geography project. Do you think we can work on it before Sunday." Ferb nodded, checked his watch and walked down the hallway to his history class.

Ferb entered the classroom, took his seat and opened his books. He started taking down some notes from the board when she came up to him. "You need to stop apologising for him." Gretchen said, then took her seat in front of him and turned around to talk. Ferb shrugged his shoulders and glanced up quickly and back to his notes. She tapped her pen against his to get his attention, once she had it she spoke again. "I should be the one who's apologising, though. I had a rough time at the meeting last night. I had glue in my hair, ink on my blouse and somehow my jeans got cut up." Ferb nodded.

"Milly said that you gave her passwords into your computer so you could work on the project together." Gretchen stated and, once again, Ferb nodded. "Why don't the two of you get together and just work on the project normally?" She said, not expecting the response she received. Ferb looked at her, leaned forward in his seat and quietly replied. "I've got commitments after school, as does Milly. Also, her father gave her a curfew of 8pm. We can't just get together to study. I had to give her access to my files so that we can both work on the project instead of one person doing all the work and both taking credit." Gretchen's eyes widened. "I had no idea..." She said before being interrupted.

"Mr. Fletcher." The teacher called from the front of the class. "Would you mind sharing with the rest of us, your plans for this evening with Ms. Weiss?" The class snickered as Ferb shook his head. "I'm sorry sir. I've no plans with Ms. Weiss this evening." Gretchen blushed as she faced forward in her seat.

After class Ferb grabbed his books and headed into the crowded hallway.

Gretchen picked up her books, turned around and caught a glimpse of green hair as Ferb walked out of her field of vision.

Isabella was the first to arrive at the lunch table in the cafeteria. She was soon joined by Buford, Baljeet and Adyson. Phineas and Gretchen arrived, followed by the rest of the former Fireside Girls. Ferb arrived ten minutes later with his laptop. "Here Ferb." Milly said as she handed over a thumb drive." He took the data stick and with a few clicks and taps handed it back to her.

"I guess you'll be coming over tonight then, Gretchen?" Phineas asked then took a bite of his lunch. Gretchen looked toward Isabella who gave a slight nod then replied. "Yeah, sure Phineas. I've no problem with that. What's a good time?" Phineas tapped the table. "You could either come over straight after school or how about 6:30 tonight?"

Gretchen tilted her head side-to-side a couple of times. "After dinner would work best for me, if it's all the same to you." Phineas nodded. "Sounds great."

That evening, Phineas was setting up his books in the living room. "Mom, Gretchen's coming over to work on a project with me. We'll be in the living room, that's okay isn't it?" Linda chuckled. "Of course it is. I'll make sure you've got some snacks and drinks."

The doorbell rang and Linda went to answer. "Good evening Gretchen, please come in. Phineas is in the living room." Linda greeted and helped the girl with her coat. "Miserable weather tonight. Do you think you'll need a ride home?" Gretchen shook her head. "I just need to call my father and he'll pick me up; but thank you."

Gretchen walked into the living room and smiled at her host. Phineas stood up and indicated she have a seat on the couch beside him. "I hope you don't mind, but I took the liberty of putting together some notes." He said.

A car was heard pulling into the garage then the sound of two doors closing, followed by a third. "You're right, that last call should have gone to you... not against you." Lawrence said as they entered the house. Ferb adjusted his equipment bag as he walked into the living room and made a bee-line for the stairs.

Gretchen looked over the notes Phineas had made for their project. "You know, I think the teacher's looking for..." A loud crash was heard and Phineas leapt from his seat and went upstairs calling back as he left. "Sorry, I'll be right back."

Phineas entered the shared room and noticed that Ferb was coming out of the bathroom. _Probably going to start working on the same project I am._ He thought to himself. "Ferb?" He called out breaking his older brother out of his thoughts. Ferb opened the bedroom door, titled his head to the side and cocked an eyebrow. "What was the crash?" Phineas inquired. Ferb shook his head and glanced around.

The boys heard noise coming from the closet. "That better not be a mouse, Mom will freak." Phineas whispered and Ferb nodded agreement. "Just a minute, let me get a pillowcase to catch it." The youngest said and ran to his bed and removed the pillow from its fabric covering. He came back with the case in hand. "Okay, Ferb... open the door."

Ferb opened the closet door and Phineas dove in and caught something in the pillowcase. "Ouch!" Phineas leapt backwards as he shook his pained hand violently. "Something bit me!" He said with a couple of tears in his eyes. Ferb carefully peeked into the pillowcase, then walked over to Phineas' bed.

Perry cautiously crept out of the bag and looked up, wide-eyed, at the redhead. "We must have scared him, I'm sure he didn't mean to bite." Ferb stated as he gave the platypus a few reassuring pets before retrieving some treats from the bookshelf.

Ferb's phone indicated an incoming text. "I should get back to Gretchen downstairs." Phineas said and left the room. Ferb read and answered the text as he took his seat at his computer.

Phineas went back downstairs and sat beside Gretchen to continue working on the project. She had taken out some of her own notes, and obviously had added a few more in the past five minutes. "So, you decided that you want to work on the project after all?" She asked him. "Yeah, why not. You're smart." Phineas said and started looking through the Geography text.

"Humph." Gretchen sounded as she flipped through her text and made some notes. Phineas sighed. "I didn't mean it like that. I know that we're not the best of friends, but we're still friends right? I know that Isabella worries about you, she's always asking if there's something Ferb and I can create to make you feel better. I just don't know you that well, so I have no idea... and well, Ferb just... Ferb is Ferb." Gretchen nodded sadly.

Phineas and Gretchen continued working. "So, France... what do we know about France? They speak French, they drink wine and they've got the Eiffel Tower." Phineas said. Gretchen agreed and filled him in on various points about the different wine districts and some of the history of the Eiffel Tower. "France is also the fourth most populated European country." She said.

The doorbell sounded. "Excuse me, I'll just answer that and be right back." Phineas said and went to answer the door. "Isabella? What are you doing here?" Phineas asked. "Actually Phineas, I'm here to see Ferb. I texted him and he said he could give me some information about... my geography assignment. You see I was assigned England.

Phineas took her rain coat and hung it up. "Ferb's upstairs." He said, and Isabella disappeared up the stairs to the boys' room. Phineas went back to the living room to work with Gretchen.

An hour later Phineas turned to Gretchen. "I've never accomplished so much in such a short time before. We're almost finished the entire project." He said awestruck. Gretchen nodded. "It's not that difficult, just sit down and do the work." She said and thought to herself. _He's the brains behind all those projects? What does Isabella see in him?_

Phineas stood up. "Would you like a drink? Mom said she had some snacks and drinks, if you'd like." Gretchen nodded. "Sure, sounds great. I'll be back in a couple of minutes." She said and pointed to the stairs. Phineas nodded and went into the kitchen.

Gretchen stepped out of the bathroom and into the upstairs hallway. The door to the boys' room opened and Isabella stepped out. "I had no idea Ferb. Thanks for all the info. I'll see you at school tomorrow." Ferb nodded and stepped into the semi-crowded hallway. He glanced at Gretchen and offered a small smile that quickly disappeared. He extended his hand out indicating she should precede him down the stairs.

Isabella reached the bottom of the steps and saw Phineas come out of the kitchen with two drinks. "Oh Phineas, thank you." She said as she took a drink from him. "I didn't believe you when you said that given the chance, Ferb could talk for hours. I'll never doubt you again." Gretchen stepped off the bottom step and went over to the coffee table to collect her books and papers. "Here you go." Phineas said as he handed her a drink and returned to the kitchen for another when he saw his brother standing on the steps. "Hey Ferb, you want a drink?" He called out and the taller teen finished his decent, nodded and followed his brother into the kitchen.

The brothers came back to the living room with their own drinks and some cookies that their mother had baked. The three friends sat down and chatted for a while. Ferb sat and listened.

"What was in your bag when you came home?" Gretchen asked after a while as she turned to Ferb. He blinked and was about to reply when Phineas interjected. "That's his fencing equipment. He's really good... level two. Or is it now three?" Ferb shook his head and held up two fingers. "That's too bad Ferb, I know you were wanting to pass to third." Phineas said and Ferb shrugged his shoulders in reply then sat back, crossed his arms over his chest and cast his gaze toward the floor. Phineas then continued, "Yeah, for the past few years, every time Ferb goes to get his next level... well, there's these two judges who choose their own students over students from other masters. I'm sure Ferb would've been master level years ago, if it weren't for them."

Gretchen looked between the two brothers. "I didn't know you fenced." She said as she looked at Ferb. He was about to say something when he was once again interrupted. "He's been fencing for years, since he was five." Phineas replied. "If you're interested, I'm sure he'd be more than happy to spar with you." Ferb narrowed his eyes and glared at his brother a moment then turned his gaze to the window.

Phineas and Isabella were talking with Gretchen about the class assignment. Ferb stood up and left the living room for the den. There, he sat down and turned the television on quietly. He called up the cable listings and lucked out, one of his favourite shows was starting in a couple of minutes. He selected the channel and made himself comfortable.

He lost himself in the program and was brought back to reality when he heard a scream and was grabbed from behind. He looked over his shoulder and raised an eyebrow at Gretchen. "I'm sorry, I just wanted..." She started when she thought she saw him smile a little. Ferb stood up and extended his hand toward her. She took it and walked around the couch and took a seat. Ferb sat back down and gently brushed his fingers across the back of her hand.

Gretchen moved her hands into her lap. "Phineas said that you might be selected to be on the Olympic Junior Fencing Team." She said and Ferb nodded. "There's a chance I could be selected." He replied and Gretchen's eyes went wide. "He's telling the truth? He's not just trying..." She said before clamping her hand over her mouth. Ferb raised his eyebrows at her. "I'm sorry, Ferb. I should be heading home." Gretchen quickly said as she tried to recover herself and stood up. Ferb stood and extended his hand toward her. She placed her hand in his and he smiled softly and kissed the back of her hand causing her to blush. "May I walk you home?" He asked.

Gretchen shook her head. "I've called my dad, he'll be here soon to pick me up." She said. Ferb continued to hold her hand. "At least let me walk you to the door." He replied and she smiled.


	3. Chapter 3

The next morning the boys woke up and got ready for school. "Are you feeling all right Ferb?" His mother asked him and he nodded. "Are you sure? You look a little off." She said. Again, Ferb nodded and replied. "I've just got a bit of a sore throat." Linda passed him a plate of breakfast. "Just try not to talk too much." Ferb nodded and Phineas laughed. "I don't think he'll have a problem with that." He said, eliciting a glare from his brother.

They got to school and went to their respective classes. At lunch, everyone met up in the cafeteria. "I'm not looking forward to our presentations next week." Adyson complained. "I hate public speaking." She finished.

Buford nudged his elbow into Ferb's arm. "Hey, wake up." Ferb opened his eyes and shook his head. "You also fell asleep in English class. Didn't you sleep last night?" Ferb nodded and Phineas replied. "Yeah, he said something about a sore throat this morning though." Ferb picked up his uneaten lunch and left the table.

"I think you should talk to him." Isabella mentioned to Phineas before she took another bite of her lunch. "Oh, he'll be fine." He replied, with a wave of his hand. "Excuse me, I've got to... get some books from my locker for my next class." Milly said as she got up from the table.

Once Milly was out of earshot, Adyson spoke up. "I think she's got a thing for Ferb." This caused almost everyone to start laughing. "I don't think so, she's working on that geography project with him." Phineas said. Adyson stood up. "Then I'll go ask her." She said and left.

Isabella looked around the table, "So, what's everyone doing this weekend?" she inquired. "I'm starting a new training session at the gym." Buford replied. "I've got a fun-filled weekend of studying." Baljeet said. Ginger, Katie and Holly didn't have any plans yet. "My Fireside Girls are going on a nature hike Saturday." Gretchen answered between bites. Isabella turned to Phineas. "Do you have any plans this weekend?" He looked at her and smiled. "Actually, Ferb and I are going to retrofit Candace's car. She's wanting..." He started before Isabella interjected. "That's nice."

After school, Phineas and Isabella were walking home together. "I wonder what happened to Ferb, I didn't see him all afternoon." He said. They turned the corner onto Maple Drive and Isabella noticed that Mr. Fletcher's car was in the driveway. "Your father's home? He's never home this early." She observed and they continued walking toward the house, up the driveway and through the front door.

As Phineas and Isabella were taking off their shoes and jackets, Lawrence stepped into the front entrance. "I'm sorry Isabella, you'll have to go home." He said quietly. Phineas looked worried. "What's the matter?" Lawrence placed his hand on his son's shoulder. "Ferb's a little under the weather, he came home a few hours ago."

Isabella started putting her shoes back on. "Phin, would you like to come over to my place for a while?" She asked and he looked to his father who nodded. "That would be fine, just be home for dinner." Phineas smiled. "I will Dad." He put his shoes back on and the pair left.

Phineas came home after a few hours, took off his shoes and jacket and started to head upstairs. "Phineas, where are you headed?" His mother called out from the kitchen. "Just to my room, I need to finish my homework." He answered as Linda came out of the kitchen. "Sorry dear, you'll have to use the den. You'll also need to either sleep in Candace's room or downstairs. Ferb's contagious right now. You can't go in there. I'll get you some clean bedding after dinner." She said.

Phineas cast a worried glance up the stairs. "What does he have?" He inquired. Linda shook her head sadly. "He's got a flu." She replied and went back to preparing dinner. Phineas went into the den, pulled out his phone, sent a text to his brother then started his homework.

"Dinner!" Linda called out to the household and almost everyone came to the table. Candace came into the dining room. "Hey Phineas, where's Ferb?" Lawrence passed her the casserole dish and answered. "He's sleeping." She took the offered dish then looked to her mother. "Do we have to wait for him to show up or do you want me to wake him?" Linda shook her head. "Don't wake him, he'll wake up when he's ready."

Phineas decided that he would sleep in the den. He stayed up a while doing his homework and eventually found himself peckish. He went into the kitchen to grab himself a snack and when he turned round came face to face with Ferb. Phineas couldn't tell if Ferb was awake or not, his eyes were glazed and he moved more out of reflex than with actual purpose. "Ferb, what are you doing?" Phineas inquired and got a chill down his spine when Ferb's eyes shifted to look at him. The green-haired teen didn't actually say anything, but his stomach started to grumble. "Oh, you're hungry?" The shorter brother asked and Ferb nodded.

Phineas indicated that his brother should just sit at the table. "I'll see what I can find. I don't think there were any leftovers from dinner..." he said as he poked his nose into the fridge. "Oh, here we go... chicken?" He said as he pulled the plate out of the fridge and showed Ferb, who shook his head and placed a hand over his throat. "Your throat hurts?" The redhead inquired and received a nod in return. "Does anything else hurt?" Ferb nodded again and held his head in his hands as he placed his elbows on the table. "Everything hurts." He whispered then winced at the pain that caused. Phineas put the plate back into the fridge. "Would you like some soup or some..." He looked in the freezer. "Popsicle?"

"I'll get him something; you just head off to bed." Lawrence said as he stepped into the kitchen and placed his hand on Ferb's back.

Phineas started leaving the kitchen when he turned around. "Feel better." He called out. Ferb nodded and started coughing. The redhead went back to the den.

Friday was uneventful for Phineas, as was the weekend. Ferb was still not feeling well, though on Saturday and Sunday he came downstairs for an hour or two... to prove he was still alive; he didn't have the energy to help his brother fix up their sister's car. "That's okay Ferb, we'll fix it up next weekend." Phineas encouraged and Ferb weakly nodded his head before shuffling his way to the stairs. Once there he paused a moment, to collect his strength, then made his way up to his room where he collapsed into bed coughing.

Phineas turned to his sister. "Candace, is he going to be all right?" He inquired worriedly. She tried to smile but faltered. "He'll be fine." Phineas noticed the discrepancy between her words and her expression. "Thanks Candace, I guess I'd better start working on your car then." He replied unenthusiastically and left for the garage.

Candace looked into the kitchen, to make sure her mother was busy, then went upstairs. She quietly knocked on her brothers' bedroom door, then entered. "Ferb?" She whispered as she crept in and closed the door behind her. "Ferb?" She called again as she approached his bed and laid her hand on his shoulder. She noticed that he had fallen asleep again. With a sigh, she sat down beside him and placed her hand on his forehead a moment then moved his hair out of his face. "I know it's not your fault, but Phineas is just not himself without you. You've got to get better."

Candace sat with her step-brother for a while just talking to him as he slept. It was very sudden, Ferb started choking. He then turned onto his side and started coughing violently. She sat beside him and placed her hand on his back. "It's okay, you're okay." She whispered. It took three minutes, Candace watched the clock, for him to stop coughing and catch his breath.

Ferb finally started to breathe normally. He then pulled the covers over himself. "Thanks Candace." He whispered as his eyes opened slightly. "Not a problem Ferb. How do you feel now? Better?" She inquired and he shook his head and a couple of slight coughs tried to escape. "I feel as though I've been clobbered by a wrecking ball." He said hoarsely and suddenly he started to shiver uncontrollably. Worried for her brother, Candace tried not to panic. "What's wrong?" Ferb continued to shiver and replied. "C-c-c-cold."

Candace sprang from the bed and reached over to Phineas' bed and took the covers and draped them over Ferb. She then went to the linen closet and pulled out a few more blankets and draped them on him as well. "How's that? Better?" She asked and felt a little relief when she noticed he'd stopped shivering. Now he was just sleeping.

Candace went downstairs and looked into the backyard. Phineas and his friends were there trying to build something. Candace couldn't tell what it was, surprisingly, she didn't care. "Mom, I'm worried about Ferb. He's sleeping now, but just a few minutes ago he was shivering." Linda put a cup and a bowl on a tray. "I've got some errands to run. Do you think you can take this up to him. He needs to eat something, he's only had half a bowl of soup and half a piece of toast in the past three days. Wake him up if you have to." Candace nodded and took the tray.

Linda stepped into the backyard. "Phineas, can you come here for a moment?" Phineas looked over. "Just a minute Mom." He said then turned to his friends. "I'll be right back." He then went over to where his mother was standing. Linda smiled to the group of teens in the backyard. "Remember, your brother's still not well. You can have fun, just keep the noise down. I've left some ice cream in the freezer and the cookies are in the cookie jar. There's juice and soda in the fridge for everyone. I'll be back later." She said. "Thanks Mom."


	4. Chapter 4

Monday and Tuesday went alright for Phineas. He did his geography presentation with Gretchen and received one of the highest marks in the class. Milly did her presentation. "I regret to say that my project partner isn't feeling well, but I'd like to present Sweden." The teacher gave her full marks on the project. Milly took her seat and discreetly pulled out her phone and sent a text to Ferb. 'Project success. Full marks!' Ferb would later find out that he only received 60%.

By Tuesday afternoon Ferb was feeling much better. He convinced his mother that he needed to get out of the house for a while, she took one look at him and shook her head. "You're not going out of the house looking like that. It looks as though you've got moss covering your face. If you can manage to get yourself cleaned up, I suppose you can go out for a bit." Ferb lifted his hand to his cheek and nodded. He went to the bathroom and took a good look at himself in the mirror. _I guess I'm just not cut out for facial hair._ He thought to himself before he stepped into the shower.

Once finished, he went downstairs. "Is this better Mum?" He inquired of her. Linda turned around and took a look at him. "You've lost so much weight, Ferb. Would you like something to eat? A sandwich? Pizza? Anything?" She asked and he shook his head. "I'm fine." Then his stomach growled and he sighed. "I'll make you a sandwich. How does chicken salad sound?" She said and started pulling the leftovers out of the fridge. "Sounds great Mum." He replied and took a seat at the table.

Linda handed him the sandwich, some cut veggies, a glass of juice and a cup of tea. "This is too much..." He said then took a bite. The sandwich was gone before he knew it, as was the rest of his lunch. "Thanks Mum, I didn't realise how hungry I was.

Linda laughed a little. "Would you like me to drive you somewhere? I've got some errands to run." Ferb put his dishes in the sink. "I wanted to go to the mall for a bit, Gretchen's birthday is the day after tomorrow and I'd like to get her something."

Linda smiled and grabbed her keys. "Of course dear. Not a problem."

Once at the mall, Linda went to pick up what she needed and Ferb went to the bookstore. He was in luck, Gretchen's favourite author was still here for the book signing. He picked up a copy of the newest book and read the back cover, then decided to get a copy for himself. He queued up for the signing.

Once both books were bought, Ferb made his way to the food court. He looked around; but nothing appealed to him. He turned and started walking to one of the coffee shops down the hallway. He got himself a hot drink and a piece of coffee cake.

Linda was finishing her errands and decided to get herself a drink, she stopped off in the coffee shop and saw her son sitting there reading a book. _If I didn't know better, I'd swear he had no friends._ She thought to herself as she got her order and sat down across from him.

Ferb didn't notice that anyone had sat across from him until his name was called. He then startled and almost spilled his drink. "Are you ready to go home?" Linda inquired and he nodded his head. "Did I startle you?" His mother asked and he sheepishly nodded again. "Sorry about that." She said and he shrugged his shoulders and picked up his parcel and drink.

As mother and son were walking towards the exit, Linda paused. "You said that was a birthday gift?" She asked and Ferb nodded. Linda looked sternly at him. "Do you have a card? Or were you just going to give her the book anonymously?" Ferb sighed.

"Do you want me to wait for you, or can you find your own way home?" Linda inquired. "It's okay, Mum. I'll find my own way." Ferb replied and went in search of a card for Gretchen. _It has to indicate that we're friends, and if possible... more than friends._ He thought to himself.

After searching through the cards Ferb finally found one he thought was perfect. After making the purchase he left the mall.

On his way home he passed by the Fireside Girls' lodge. Gretchen was standing on the porch waiting for her troop to show up. "Ferb?" She called, then a bit louder. "Ferb!" She ran down the steps and called to him again. "Ferb!" He walked over to her and smiled. Gretchen smiled back and flung herself at him in a hug. "You're out and about, that means you're feeling better." She said and looked up at him. Ferb nodded and offered a small smile.

Gretchen then heard giggling behind her. Ferb placed her on the ground and she looked around. "Gretchen has a boyfriend, Gretchen has a boyfriend." Four girls chorused and went into the lodge. Gretchen blushed, then calmed herself a little before turning to Ferb. "Are you able to help me out this evening?" She asked causing him to raise an eyebrow. "I just thought that the girls could try to earn their first aid patches. Would you care to help?" Gretchen asked and looked at Ferb in a way he just couldn't resist. He nodded and whispered in her ear.

Gretchen lead Ferb up the steps into the Fireside Girls' lodge and opened the door. "Okay girls. This evening, we'll be working on our 'First Aid' patches. My friend..." Gretchen said, and many in the troop started to snicker. "AHEM!" Gretchen called then continued. "My friend has agreed to help. Need I remind you to be courteous to our guest?"

Gretchen sat off to the side as the meeting started, she then got things organised for the girls to earn their patches. "Ferb if you can please lie down on the floor." She said, and then turned to the troop. "Help! My friend's been hit by a car!" She screamed.

The girls gathered around and learned what they were and weren't supposed to do with the accident victim. Gretchen then taught them how to check for a pulse.

"I can't find the pulse." One of the girls complained. Gretchen came over and demonstrated using Ferb's wrist, causing his pulse to quicken. He tried to calm himself but he found Gretchen's proximity distracting.

Three of the girls were off near the far wall chatting and giggling amongst themselves when one of them spoke up. "Gretchen, you're going to demonstrate CPR to us... _right_?" Flustered, Gretchen looked to Ferb then back to the troop. "One can't perform CPR on a conscious individual." One of the girls who could almost be described as a younger version of Adyson called out. "We're supposed to know CPR in order to receive our patch."

Gretchen buried her face in her hands for a moment. "Fine." She then turned and guiltily looked to Ferb who nodded and lay down on the floor, again. Gretchen knelt beside him and the troop formed a circle around them. Gretchen then started describing the steps. "Now I'm not actually going to perform CPR on Ferb, here, because he's conscious and breathing. Though, if he were unconscious and not breathing I would place my hand under his neck, like this." She demonstrated and continued. "I would then pinch the nose closed and place my mouth over his in an attempt to inflate his lungs. Then I lace my hands together like so, and with the heel of my hand placed here apply compression."

"Can you demonstrate how you would inflate his lungs?" One member of the troop asked, a little too sweetly. Gretchen closed her eyes a moment. "I'm so sorry Ferb." She said and leaned over him and placed her mouth over his. _Oh, my... I could get used to this. If I wasn't doing a demonstration right now, I think I'd actually just kiss him._ She thought to herself. "Eww, I'm not going to do that. It looks like you're kissing." A young Fireside Girl shrieked then started making gagging noises.

Gretchen stood up and Ferb sat up. She went to close off the meeting and he stood up and unobtrusively went to stand beside the door.

"That was a great meeting girls. I would like you all to thank Ferb for assisting with today's demonstration." Gretchen said and the troop chorused out "Thank you Ferb." as they turned toward him before the final words of the meeting.

As the Fireside Girls filed out Ferb heard a few of them. "Gretchen says she's just friends with him, I don't believe that for a minute." One of the girls stopped and asked him directly, "How long have you known Jr. Leader Gretchen and are you really just friends with her?" Ferb blinked in surprise and Gretchen came over to save him. "Ferb and I've known each other for five years, and yes, we're just friends." She said as she took a protective step closer to him and carefully reached out for his hand. The girl looked at the two of them. "Yeah, right." She said and left.

Gretchen looked around the lodge. "That's everyone. Thank you so much for your help Ferb." She said as she turned to him and raised herself onto the balls of her feet and kissed him. Shocked, Ferb wrapped his arms around her and gently kissed her back before letting her go.

Ferb and Gretchen looked into each others eyes for a moment, then Ferb tried to speak. "Gretchen, I know that we're friends, but..." Gretchen's eyes went wide for a moment then she took a step back. "We can't be anything but friends, I get it..." She said and walked further into the lodge. "You should leave now." She said as she went into the back room.

With a sigh, Ferb picked up his bag and headed out the door. As he walked home he thought to himself. _I thought that I might have had a chance with her. Who am I fooling? We're just friends and that's all it'll ever amount to. It's for the best really, I see the torment that Isabella's put Phineas through with her I love him so much, I need him... then when he starts to think that there's something there, she agrees with him. That's right Phin, we're just friends and she smiles at him as though there's nothing wrong. She then has the audacity to turn to me and complain. Phineas actually thinks that there's something between Iz and myself. I don't like her that way, the thought of Isabella and myself together... that's preposterous. She's outgoing, fun and much better suited to my brother. Gretchen on the other hand. She's smart, witty, sweet, pretty, caring, she can hold a conversation... and I just found out that she's quite the kisser._

Ferb's thoughts continued to plague him as he walked up the driveway and into the house. "Where have you been?" Linda demanded of him as he closed the door and took his shoes off, shaking him out of his thoughts. "I, uh... was helping a friend with something." He replied then walked toward the kitchen. "You've been ill for the past week and now you..." She ranted as she followed him into the kitchen. When Ferb turned around she saw the pain in his eyes. "What happened sweety?" She asked, completely changing her tone. Ferb shook his head. "Nothing." He quietly replied as he went to look in the fridge for some leftovers. "We had some casserole for dinner, let me get you some." Linda said as she placed her hands on his shoulders and nudged him toward the table.

Linda warmed up a plate and placed it in front of Ferb, she then took a seat. "Something's bothering you dear, I can tell. You were happy earlier, what happened? Did Gretchen find out about her birthday present?" Linda inquired and Ferb tensed up slightly and shook his head as he took a bite of his dinner.

Phineas came into the kitchen. "Ferb! There you are. I've got some homework assignments for you. Your teachers decided it was a good idea for me to bring them to you. These three are due ASAP... and these four are due on Monday." He said as he placed a folder beside Ferb; who opened it and quickly read through the notes before closing the folder then rested his head in his hands. Phineas stepped up beside his brother and clapped him on the back. "It's okay bro. I'll help you; I got top marks on mine." Ferb shook his head, finished his dinner then took the folder upstairs.

Ferb entered his room and threw himself onto his bed and pulled the pillow over his head. He lay there for a few minutes. The bedroom door opened and Phineas stepped in. "Hey, Ferb." He said as he took a seat on his yellow bed. The distraught one pulled the pillow off his head, turned onto his side and faced the wall. "Come on Ferb. I'll help you with the assignments. I know you've read the assigned book for English class..." Phineas said gently, eliciting a groan from his brother. "Leave me alone Phin. I'm... not feeling well."

Phineas pulled Ferb's homework out and displayed it on the desk. He then read out, "English, 300 word report on why the main character..." Ferb sat up, glared at the intruder and yelled at him. "Leave!" He then continued to glare. Phineas, shrugged it off and continued. "Math, pages 80-120." Ferb growled at him and stood up, arms crossed. "History..." Phineas said and looked up at his brother, who was crossing the room with a determined step. "5000 word report on Early Settlements in the Area." Phineas gulped as Ferb placed his hands on the desk and leaned in close. "What part of LEAVE! DID YOU NOT UNDERSTAND?"

Phineas had seen his brother angry before, this wasn't angry... Ferb was hurting and Phineas wanted to help. "Okay Ferb." Phineas almost squeaked, but didn't back away. Instead he remained standing beside Ferb's desk waiting to see what would happen. "Brother to brother, tell me what's wrong."

Ferb's eyes dropped to the desk and he shook his head. Phineas took a step closer and rested his hand against his brother's arm. "I can't help you if you won't let me." Ferb shook his head again, then turned and walked over to his bed. Phineas followed him. "Come on Ferb. The last time you didn't tell me what was bothering you, you gave me the silent treatment for a whole week; and that was because I used up all the hot water for my shower... I'm sorry about that, I really thought you had yours first."

Ferb sat on his bed and hung his head. Phineas sat across from his brother on his own bed then commented. "Mom said that you were feeling better today and that she drove you to the mall." Ferb kept his eyes downcast and nodded; Phineas continued. "You chose to walk home." He stated calmly, knowing that sooner or later Ferb would start talking... filling in the blanks. Phineas saw his brother nod again and open his mouth to say something.

Linda knocked on the bedroom door and entered. "Ferb honey, what's wrong?" Ferb snapped his mouth closed and shook his head. Phineas sighed and looked worriedly toward his brother, then to his mother. "He said that he wasn't feeling well. I think he's just exhausted, being sick does take a lot out of a guy." Linda looked at her two sons. "If you say so, but before I forget... there's some ice cream and cookies downstairs." Phineas glanced at Ferb, and then stood up. "Sounds great Mom, I'll be right down."

Gretchen got home, had some dinner then went to her room to finish her homework. _Ferb kissed me. Well, I kissed him first, but he kissed me back. Why would he say he wanted to be just friends if he... but he didn't try to French kiss me. I wonder what that would be like though, having Ferb wrap his arms around me, taking my lips with his and having his tongue invade my mouth... Who am I kidding? He doesn't like me like that. I'm just an ugly, little girl with brown hair and glasses. I know everyone thinks I'm a know-it-all, who could possibly like me as more than a friend? I don't even deserve Ferb as a friend; he's probably just being nice because of Isabella._

Ferb remained in his room and started working on the urgent assignments.


	5. Chapter 5

**AN: Time to let the fun begin...  
**

Phineas was downstairs having his ice cream and a cookie. He pulled out his cell phone and texted Isabella. She texted him back and this continued for a few minutes until he finished his dish. "Mom, can Isabella come over for a little bit? She's in a couple of Ferb's classes and can help him out on his assignments." Linda smiled and replied. "Of course, as long as she doesn't stay too late."

A few minutes later there was a knock on the door. Phineas went to answer it and smiled at his friend and neighbour. "Evening Phin, Whatcha' doin'?" His grin widened. _I love it when she says that._ He thought to himself, _Who am I kidding; she's got a thing for Ferb._

Phineas followed Isabella upstairs and into the boys' room. "Ferb, Isabella's here to help you with a couple of your assignments." Phineas said as he entered and sat on his bed. Isabella walked over to Ferb's desk and giggled as she perched herself on the corner. "Hey, Ferb. I see you're feeling better. That's great."

Ferb looked questionably over to his brother then nodded at Isabella. "So, what assignment do you need help on?" She asked. Ferb raised his eyebrow at his brother. With a sigh, Phineas muttered, "He doesn't really need any help with an assignment. I called you over because something's bothering him and he won't tell me... I thought that, maybe he'd talk to you." The youngest brother finished quietly.

Ferb rolled his eyes causing Isabella to giggle again. "Okay Ferb, what's bothering you?" The green-haired teen continued to sit at his desk and shook his head as he looked toward his brother. Phineas shook his head. "Come on Ferb. I know you and Isabella are friends." Isabella then smiled and turned to look at Phineas. "Of course we're friends, we're all friends..." She turned to face Ferb, "aren't we?" She asked and he nodded. Phineas jumped to his feet. "See? I knew it." He said, barely keeping a twinge of disappointment out of his voice.

Ferb raised an eyebrow at his brother and started to chuckle. _He thinks I've got a thing for her. Oh, this is rich. He's going to be in for quite the shock when he finds out that the best Iz and I'll ever be are just good friends. I can't even say I'm best friends with her. I can't see myself dating her at all. I don't think we've even got anything in common._

Isabella looked into Ferb's eyes. _I never realised how blue his eyes are... Phineas is concerned that Ferb and I aren't friends? Phin's acting as though he thinks that Ferb and I are more than friends... I don't flirt with Ferb, do I? What are his thoughts, I'd like to know. I wonder if he has feelings for me, if he does I'll have to tell him that it just won't work out. I love his brother, his redheaded, adorable, oblivious brother._

Ferb stood up and Isabella flung herself into his arms. "Oh, Ferb." She started, causing him to raise his eyebrows at her, she then continued. "I think we should tell him the truth. The whole truth in its entirety... exactly what we mean to each other." She then kissed him on the cheek, grabbed his hand and turned to face Phineas. "Ferb and I..." She started before Phineas' knees unhinged and he sat heavily onto his bed. "Don't say it. I know all about you two." He said and Isabella walked over to him, leaving Ferb to take a seat at his desk. "Phin, Ferb and I are just friends. That's all, nothing more." She then leaned in and kissed him on the lips.

Ferb snickered and shook his head then got back to work.

"You see Phineas?" Isabella started to explain to him. "Ferb and I are just friends, it's you I..." She paused, looked Phineas in the eye then turned to Ferb who nodded back at her in a 'just tell him already' manner. Isabella turned back to Phineas. "It's you I'm in love with." She finished and Phineas' jaw dropped. "Really? I always thought that you and Ferb... because every time you were upset about something, it was Ferb you turned to."

Ferb coughed and stood up from his desk. "Where are you going?" Phineas asked him and he pointed to the door with one hand while covering his throat with the other, he then left the room.

Ferb was downstairs having a cup of hot water with lemon when Isabella came into the kitchen followed by Phineas. "Thank you Ferb." She said as she smiled at him. He nodded back. Isabella smiled at Phineas. "Uh, Ferb... I really wish you were dating someone, then we could all go out Thursday night. Phineas said he's going to take me to the new romantic comedy, you know, with Friday being a professional day..." She said and again Ferb nodded and smiled slightly in her direction.

_I can't tell her, or anyone, that I want to date Gretchen; but Gretchen said that she just wants to be friends. I should be happy for my brother and Isabella. Today's been a long time coming. I am happy for them. I hope that things work out better for them than for me. I guess I'm just destined to sit home and read while everyone else goes out._ Ferb thought to himself as he re-boiled the kettle and poured himself another cup.

Although he felt much better than he had all week, Ferb still had to stay home one more day. He had finished off the 'urgent' assignments and sent them back with Phineas. He then spent the day working on the rest of the assignments that Phin had brought home. They were fairly straight forward assignments, just a little research had to be put into them. By early afternoon, Ferb had finished everything.

Ferb picked up his cell phone and composed a text to Gretchen. Moments after he sent the message he received notification "Delivery Failure". _She blocked me? I thought that we were friends; guess I was wrong._ He then composed a message to Isabella and not a minute later received a response. He shook his head and went to the kitchen for a late lunch.

After school, Isabella met up with Phineas at his locker. "Hi Phineas, whatcha' doin?" Grinning like a fool, Phineas answered "Just talking with the prettiest girl in school." She blushed. "I received a text from Ferb, he said that he'll be back at school tomorrow." Phineas nodded, "Yeah, some rule about having to be away for a whole week. He probably could have come back today or yesterday, he was feeling well enough."

Phineas and Isabella were walking home from school. "Gretchen seemed really unhappy today." Phineas commented. "When I asked her if something was bothering her, she glared at me and shook her head. It looked as though she was going to start crying." He finished. Isabella adjusted her backpack over her coat. "I don't know. Must be the troop she's Jr. Leader of, she's said some of the girls are trouble makers. Last week they cut up her jeans, poured ink on her blouse and put glue in her hair."

**We've officially made it to the half-way point. Thank you for reading.**


	6. Chapter 6

Thursday morning Phineas woke up and pounced the form in Ferb's bed. He received quite the shock when the form chittered angrily at him. Just as Phineas was leaping back from the disgruntled Perry, Ferb opened the bedroom door, took in the sight before him and raised an eyebrow. "I thought you were still in bed!" Phineas accused and Ferb shook his head in response as he searched his bureau for a clean pair of socks.

The boys went downstairs for breakfast. "So... you've got the shortest school week ever." Phineas commented to his brother who just shrugged his shoulders. "I know you were sick last week and didn't do much. We've got an assembly this morning then this afternoon, in Geography, we're supposed to be watching a documentary, and well, Science class." Phineas said and Ferb nodded.

The boys donned their coats, grabbed their bags and started walking to school. Isabella was waiting for them at the corner, "Whatcha' doin'?" She greeted causing Phineas to grin like a mad man. Ferb shook his head and re-adjusted his backpack. He kept wondering why Gretchen had blocked his number. _What did I do? I helped her out with her Fireside Girls' demonstration, she kissed me, I kissed her back... what did I do wrong? Why would she block my number, unless..._

"Hey, Ferb." A voice said from just around his elbow, causing his train of thought to derail. Ferb looked over and saw Gretchen trying to keep step with him; he slowed his pace a little and nodded. "So, you're well enough to come to school today?" She inquired. Again, Ferb nodded and was about to say something when Phineas spoke up. "Yeah, he probably could have come back a couple of days ago... but you know, rules."

Ferb nodded sadly after his brother finished the explanation that he was perfectly capable of giving for himself. Gretchen looked up at the tall teen. "Thank you for helping me out the other evening." He raised his eyebrow at her and she continued. "You're such a great friend." She said and Isabella looked over her shoulder. "He really is, isn't he? It's because of Ferb that Phineas and I have started dating. We're going out on our first real date tonight. Why don't you guys come along?"

Gretchen's eyes lit up and she looked up at Ferb who's own eyes were the widest she'd ever seen. He blinked and glanced toward the brunette. "Do you want to supervise those two on their date?" He asked her and she laughed lightly.

"Ferb, we don't need supervision." Phineas scoffed causing his brother to snort in laughter. Isabella started to laugh. "I don't know Phin, you _might_ need to be supervised." She said and everyone laughed. "Though Ferb, if you are asking Gretchen out... you should at least give her the courtesy of asking her out properly." She finished. Ferb glared at her a moment and for the rest of the walk to school, remained silent.

When Ferb didn't say anything further, Gretchen cast her gaze downward as she walked the last couple of blocks to school. Ferb opened the door and let everyone enter before he turned down a hallway to get to his locker. Phineas and Isabella headed to their home room and Gretchen ran after Ferb. "Wait." She called out to him.

Although he heard her, Ferb didn't stop. He continued down the hall until he reached his locker. Gretchen finally caught up to him. "Is something wrong?" She whispered. Ferb reached into his bag and pulled out the gift. "Here, Happy Birthday." He said as he shoved the parcel into her hands before slamming his locker door and walking away.

Gretchen looked at the package in her hands and took a shaky breath. Tears were threatening to fall as she carefully sliced through the tape with her thumbnail. She saw a book and pulled out a card. She opened the card and started to cry. As Gretchen was making her way to her home room, she slit the tape to reveal the newest book from her favourite author. She put the card and paper in her bag and opened the front cover of the book. _There are as many stars in the galaxies as there are seconds in a lifetime. Have faith that you find your star._

_He got the book autographed_. Gretchen felt her heart stop for a moment. She then turned around and ran down the hallway and around the corner. She ran to Isabella's home room and motioned for her to come into the hall. Once Isabella stepped into the hall she noticed Gretchen crying. "What happened?"

Gretchen handed the book to Isabella. "Ferb gave me this." She sobbed. Isabella took the book and looked at the note the author wrote inside. "That's so sweet." The raven-haired girl said as she handed the book back. "He won't talk to me... he kissed me the other evening and now he won't talk to me." Gretchen continued to sob. Isabella hugged her friend. "I'll see what I can find out." She said and pulled out her phone and sent a text to Ferb.

Isabella: You kissed Gretchen?

Ferb: None of your business.

Isabella: She's crying her eyes out in the west hall.

Ferb: What do you want me to do?

Isabella: Talk to her, she's upset and it's your fault.

Ferb: She blocked me.

Isabella read that last message and her hand flew to her mouth. "You blocked him?" She said and Gretchen's eyes went wide. "No, I blocked Phineas." The shorter girl said and dug her phone out of her purse. She opened it up and looked at her settings. "Oh, no! I did block him. He must think I hate him." Gretchen said and started to cry harder.

Isabella took Gretchen to the nearest washroom. "Let me see your phone." Isabella said and Gretchen handed it over as she dabbed at her eyes with some tissue. Isabella re-entered Ferb's contact information, double checking it from her phone and sent a text.

*Gretchen: Hey, it's Iz.

Ferb: …

*Gretchen: It was an error, she meant to block Phin.

Ferb: I don't believe you.

*Gretchen: Ferb, please.

"I don't know what to do." Isabella said as she handed the phone back to Gretchen who nodded and tentatively sent a text of her own.

Gretchen: Thank you for the book.

Ferb: ...

Gretchen: I love this author, how did you know?

Ferb: You're welcome.

Gretchen: The other night, we kissed, you can't say that didn't mean anything.

Ferb: You blocked me.

Gretchen: I thought I blocked Phineas.

Ferb: You blocked me.

Gretchen: You kissed me. You can't say that you felt nothing. I saw the look in your eyes. I know your heart rate went up when we touched.

Ferb: I was getting over the flu.

Gretchen: Can we talk?

The bell rang and the two girls dashed out of the bathroom and back to their respective home rooms.

During the assembly, Phineas and Isabella sat side-by-side. He had his arm around her shoulders and she was resting her head against his arm.

Gretchen was sitting near Buford and Baljeet. She kept looking toward Ferb sitting four rows ahead and six seats to the left, on the aisle.

The auditorium lights dimmed and the principal came out and started speaking. Some people groaned and others fake snored. Gretchen was only partially paying attention to what was being said about school dances, student parking and the changes being made to the cafeteria's menu. She was lost in her own thoughts about Ferb. _I've got to find a way to talk to him. I need to feel his arms around me and his lips on mine again. He remembered my birthday, when no one else did... Ferb remembered; and he got me an autographed copy of my favourite author's new book._

Gretchen was shaken from her thoughts when Buford passed his phone to her.

Isabella: He's not answering.

Holly: I don't blame him.

Buford: What you guys talking about?

Isabella: Ferb and Gretchen.

Katie: They kissed and now they're not talking.

Buford: I'll ask her, she's sitting right here.

Holly: No. This is private.

Isabella: Yeah, it's private.

Katie: I'll tell the teacher you're texting during assembly.

Buford: So are you blondie.

Katie: Don't call me blondie, Van Stomm.

Buford: I'm so scared, what are you going to do?

Katie: I'll think of something.

Gretchen handed the phone back, pulled her jacket tighter around herself and started to weep as quietly as she could.

The assembly ended. Gretchen started to numbly make her way out of the auditorium and got caught up in the bottleneck of students at the exit.

Ferb chose to remain seated until most of the students had left before he started to make his way out. He finally left the auditorium and meandered down the hallway to his locker. Gretchen was standing there, waiting for him. He took a breath and released it as he stepped closer. "Thank you for the book, I love it." She said as he stepped up beside her. Ferb nodded and shrugged his shoulders. "I need to talk with you." She said.

He glanced at her and noticed her eyes were damp. _It's obvious we're both hurting, I guess I could talk with her... what harm could come of that?_ He thought to himself as he nodded and grabbed his bag and his lunch.

Ferb and Gretchen went to a quiet stairwell, sat down and talked.

Phineas and Isabella were in the cafeteria having lunch with the others. "That was a long assembly about nothing." Buford complained. "At least I didn't have to sit through class." He finished. "I agree. There was no useful information issued during that waste of time." Baljeet pointed out.

Adyson rushed into the cafeteria and almost overshot the table where her friends were sitting. "You guys won't believe what I saw." She said and slid her phone across the table. Everyone gasped as they looked at the picture on the phone: Ferb and Gretchen kissing in a stairwell. "I'm fairly sure I saw tongue." Adyson said smugly.

"That is not very nice. They are our friends." Baljeet said as he took a number of curious glances at the picture. Buford started rubbing his hands together. "I've finally got something on him. I knew he wasn't as perfect as he seemed."

The bell rang and everyone dispersed to their afternoon classes.


	7. Chapter 7

Once the final bell sounded the hallways were jammed with students getting ready for their weekend.

Phineas and Isabella were at his locker making sure they had what they needed for the weekend and Ferb was at his locker collecting his books. Gretchen closed her locker and was making her way over to Ferb's when Adyson fell into step with her. "Any plans for this weekend?" She asked and Gretchen glanced at the taller girl. "I've got my Fireside Girls going for their 'Flora and Fauna' patch."

Adyson smirked at the shorter girl. "That's not what I meant." She said causing Gretchen to inquire nervously, "What _are_ you referring to?" Adyson then pulled out her phone and showed Gretchen the picture. Gretchen stopped walking and all colour drained from her face. Ms. Weiss started to shake her head slowly and as her hand came up to cover her mouth she squeaked out "No, no, no, no, no, no." Adyson grinned broadly at her friend's discomfort and started to laugh. "Oh, yes. You've got plans and I think I know what they are."

Gretchen turned down the right hand corridor and ran out of the school. She didn't stop running until she reached her front door. She let herself into the house, threw her bag into the kitchen and went to her room. Once she was safely behind closed doors she collapsed into a sobbing heap on the floor.

Isabella walked with Phineas and Ferb in the direction of their houses. "I thought Gretchen would have come with us." She said as she glanced at Ferb who looked perplexed as he tilted his head to the side, he then shrugged his shoulders. "Are you guys going out now?" Phineas asked as he looked over his shoulder at his brother who shrugged his shoulders yet again. "You're coming out with us tonight though, right?" Phineas inquired and Ferb shook his head.

The three of them entered the Flynn-Fletcher house and made their way to the kitchen. The boys got some drinks and chips out. "Uh, Ferb..." Isabella began. "I think you should know that you and Gretchen were caught kissing over lunch today." Ferb's eyes went wide and he put his drink down. "Yeah, Adyson took a picture of you and showed everyone."

Ferb quickly stood up and left the kitchen, making his way upstairs he pulled his phone out and once in his room; started a text. He stood, leaning against the door, for ten minutes before someone tried to enter. "Come on Ferb, let us in." Phineas called and Ferb stepped away from the door and further into the room, then sat on the edge of his bed. He just sat there staring blankly at the phone as Isabella and Phineas came in and sat across from him on the yellow inflatable bed.

"What did she say?" Isabella asked him. Ferb shook his head then started to whisper. "She's not responded." Isabella pulled her phone out, smiled at Ferb and started to place a call. She looked worried for a moment then left a voice message. Phineas rubbed his arm then looked over at his brother. "Do you like Gretchen...? I mean as more than just a friend?" He asked and Ferb nodded. "I've been trying to talk myself into asking her out for a while. For her birthday, I got her a book; autographed by her favourite author." He said and Isabella's head snapped up. "What did you just say?" Ferb blinked at her. "Did you say today's Gretchen's birthday?" She demanded and Ferb nodded.

Isabella sprang to her feet. "No Ferb, you're lying to me... Gretchen's birthday is the..." She looked over at the calendar the boys had on their wall. "What have I done? I've forgotten my best friend's birthday! I'm, I'm..." She looked sadly toward Ferb who's expression was one of hurt, then to Phineas who appeared to be thinking.

"You've got to make it up to her Iz." Phineas said and went over to his desk, pulled out some grid paper and started planning. "What does she like?" Isabella's jaw dropped. "I don't know... I mean I can't think right now. I can't believe I forgot, I'm useless as a friend." Ferb stood up and crossed over to where his brother was and took out a pencil and listed off things that Gretchen liked. "Ferb you're a genius." Phineas said with a smile. Isabella looked at the list Ferb wrote out. "Thank you Ferb, you might have just saved my..." She changed her mind and didn't finish her thought.

Ferb exited the room and went downstairs. He texted Gretchen again, then thought about calling her. He glanced at the phone in the living room and took a few steps closer when it rang.

Linda walked in from the garage. "Ferb, please answer the phone. It's not going to bite. My hands are full." He stepped closer and picked up the handset. "Hello?"

Ferb sat on the chair beside the phone and listened to what the person on the other end of the line had to say. "Okay, see you later. Bye." As he was hanging up the phone, his mother came into the living room. "Who was on the phone dear?" Ferb blinked. "Dad. He said he'd be late and not to make a fuss with dinner."

Ferb stepped into the kitchen. "Mum? I'm going out for a walk." Linda turned and smiled at him. "Of course dear." Ferb offered a small smile as thanks then put on his shoes and grabbed his coat. As he was reaching for the doorknob his phone buzzed. He pulled it out and noticed a text from Gretchen. He opened the door and stepped out into the cool fall weather. He replied to her text as he walked down the block. It wasn't long before he reached her front door.

Ferb stood on the front porch for a few minutes just looking at the door. _I must look like an idiot, just standing here. Come on Fletcher, just knock on the door. She asked you to come over. Curl your fingers, lift your hand up and knock on the door. How hard is that?_

Ferb just about had enough courage summoned to knock on the door when it opened and a very tall, broad shouldered man stood there. "Can I help you?" Ferb looked up, _This man's taller than my father._ he thought. "Ahh..." Ferb started then coughed. "I-Is Gretchen home?" He inquired and felt the man's eyes bore right through him.

"Will, who's at the door?" A woman's voice called out. The man, Will, turned his head to look into the house. "There's a young man here. He's asking about Gretchen." An auburn haired woman walked into Ferb's field of vision and pulled Will out of the doorway. "You must be Ferb." She said gently. "Please come in. Gretchen's told us so much about you." Ferb cautiously stepped into the house and closed the door behind him. "Thank you." He said quietly and quickly smiled to Mrs. Weiss. "Mr. Weiss, sir."

Ferb stood in the front entrance; Will and his wife were looking at him. "Is something wrong? You look like you're about to have a stroke." Will said and Ferb shook his head in response. "No sir, I'm fine sir." Mrs. Weiss stepped in front of Ferb and reached for his coat. "Let me hang this up for you, Gretchen's in her room."

Ferb undid his coat and let Mrs. Weiss take it as he slipped his shoes off. Before he could make his way out of the front entrance a familiar voice called out to him. "Ferb! Oh, thank you for coming!" Gretchen cried out as she ran up to him and wrapped her arms around him. Very aware of her parents, her father especially, watching his every move; Ferb gently placed his hands on her arms. He then looked into her eyes and frowned. Ferb then pulled a handkerchief out of his pocket and handed it to her. Gretchen dabbed her eyes. "Thank you Ferb."

"Gretchen!" Will called, causing the girl to stand tall and spin on her heel to face her father. "Dad." She replied and looked up at him. "Are you not going to properly introduce me to this obviously frightened young man?" He inquired and Gretchen relaxed. "Dad this is Ferb, my boyfriend..." She turned to look at Ferb who's eyes went wide. "I hope." She whispered causing Ferb's lips to twitch upward a little. "Ferb, I'd like for you to meet my father." Ferb took a breath and nodded as he extended his hand. "Sir." Mr. Weiss scowled at him. "Don't you have a surname?" Ferb, worried, nodded. "Yes sir. Fletcher, sir." Mr. Weiss nodded.

Gretchen took Ferb by the hand and led him down the hall to her room. She showed him in and closed the door. Both teens looked at each other for a moment before Gretchen flung herself at him and kissed him. He held her tight and kissed her back. "I'm sorry about my father." Gretchen breathed out after they broke the kiss. "It was bound to happen to me sooner or later." Ferb replied. Gretchen rested her hands and cheek against his chest. "And people think that you've got intimidation factor." She laughed. Ferb shook his head. "I just avoid conflict." He said then rested his head on top of hers.

Gretchen pulled him over to sit on her bed. "Gretchen, can I ask you something?" Ferb inquired and she replied, "Anything." It came out a sigh. "Do you want to be my girlfriend?" Ferb quietly asked her and she nodded. "I'd love to be your girlfriend." She replied and kissed him. She broke the kiss off again. "Ferb, I want you to kiss me like you've never kissed me before." Ferb's eyes widened and his eyebrow went up. Gretchen smiled as she moved closer to him. She chastely kissed him a couple of times and let him kiss her. She parted her lips a little and before she knew it Ferb was kissing her in a way she only dreamed of; only this was way better than any dream. She started to kiss him back.


	8. Chapter 8

Isabella and Phineas were trying to put together a party for Gretchen. "Let me see that list Ferb created." Isabella said as she reached for the paper. "Why does her birthday have to be in the fall? There's supposed to be a storm tonight and tomorrow." Isabella reminded him, annoyed at herself for completely forgetting everything.

Isabella pulled out her phone. "I'm going to get Adyson and Ginger to bake up a chocolate cake, and Katie and Milly can take care of the music. We'll put some games together, we can have everyone over to my house." She said as she sent off the messages. "I'll need tomorrow to clean and organise everything, we can have the party on Saturday." She finished

Gretchen was lying atop Ferb kissing him when her father walked into the room. "Gretchen." He stated and Ferb immediately pushed her off him as he rolled off the bed and stood. Gretchen sat up on her bed and glanced in Ferb's direction; he was standing beside her desk on the other side of the room. Will Weiss started to laugh. "I was just going to ask if we needed to set another place at the table for dinner." He said as he secretly enjoyed the embarrassment he's just caused the teens.

Ferb stood still, eyes downcast and shook his head. "Dad!" Gretchen complained then took another glance toward her boyfriend. "Dad, how could you? Get out." She said as her father stepped out of the room and closed the door. "Ferb, I'm so sorry about my father." Ferb nodded slowly. "You're his daughter and I'm just some guy who wants to date her." He said quietly as he continued to look at the floor.

Gretchen stepped over to him and tried to wrap her arms around him. "Ferb, aren't you going to..." She looked up at his face and saw how scared he was. "Dad's actually harmless. He won't..." Ferb looked into her eyes. "I should be heading home anyhow. It's starting to get late."

Gretchen stood in front of her bedroom door, blocking it. "I still want you as my first boyfriend." She said. Ferb smiled, starting to relax a little, he wrapped his arms around her and kissed her. "I'd be honoured to be your boyfriend." He replied.

At the front door, Ferb gave Gretchen a quick peck on the lips and whispered "Happy Birthday", just before he left. As he was walking down the driveway she ran up to him, the winds had picked up and she didn't have a coat on. "Ferb, my mother wanted you to take these home." She said as she handed him a plastic sandwich bag with some cookies. He looked at her, took her face in his hands and kissed her. "You'd better get back inside before it starts raining." He said then started rubbing his hands on her arms.

A fierce gust of wind blew up the driveway and Ferb pulled Gretchen close, then the rain started. Gretchen started to shiver and Ferb took his coat off and wrapped it around her shoulders and walked with her back to the house. As they stepped onto the porch, the door opened and Trudy, Gretchen's mother pulled the teens into the house. "Will will drive you home Ferb." Trudy said as she closed the door against the rain. The tall teen shook his head and continued to look at his girlfriend. "I don't want to be a bother, I'll be fine." He replied quietly.

"Nonsense." Will said as he came up beside his wife. "You will accept the offer of a ride home if you wish to see Gretchen again." Only those who truly knew him could tell that Ferb was panicking. Gretchen smiled at him and returned his coat. "Would you like me to come along for the ride?" She asked and her father replied. "Of course you're coming along." She smiled and grabbed her coat and scarf.

Ferb and Gretchen quietly sat in the backseat of the Weiss' car on the three-block drive back to Maple Drive. Gretchen kept looking at her boyfriend, wondering what was going through his mind. Ferb sat silently, hands on his knees and it seemed as though he was looking at a scuff mark on his shoes.

Will Weiss pulled into the Flynn-Fletcher driveway and stopped the car. "Thank you Mr. Weiss." Ferb said as he tried to open the car door but found it locked. He tried the button again and once he unlocked the door it re-locked on him. "Dad, quit playing around." Gretchen admonished her father and placed a reassuring hand on Ferb's arm. "I'll see you tomorrow." She said and he shook his head in response. "I've got practice and a tournament this weekend." Ferb said, then chastely kissed her and exited the car.

Gretchen sat in the car as her father drove home. "Why are you deriving so much pleasure out of terrifying him?" She asked. "I'm just testing him." Will replied and glanced in the rearview mirror to look at his daughter. "He was really scared, Dad. I don't know if he'll..." She felt the tears threaten and tried to blink them away as she looked out the window. "He's a nice guy. It took me five years to become friends with him, in that time I might have heard him say about 50 words. Now he'll hold a conversation with me."

Will pulled into their driveway. "I'm sorry Gretchen. Would you like me to talk to him? Tell him that he does have my permission to date you." Gretchen shook her head. "That would frighten him further." She replied. Mr. Weiss and Gretchen walked into the house against the wind. "What's he going to do? Move away?" He said and Gretchen shrugged her shoulders. "He could. He's got family overseas." She said.

Ferb entered his house, took off his coat and shoes and went into the den. He glanced around and found the room empty. _Good._ He thought to himself as he sat on the couch and looked at the cold fireplace. _I really like Gretchen and want to be her boyfriend. Her father'll never let me see her again after today though. If I can't get through a simple 'meet the father', I won't be able to date anyone until I'm in my 30s._ He thought to himself. A strong gust of wind slammed into the house and the lights went out and a high pitched scream was heard.

"Is everyone all right?" Linda called through the house. Ferb heard Phineas call back "Isabella and I are fine, I'm just finding the flashlight, and we'll be right down." The sound of a slamming door was heard followed by Candace, "Phineas! You are so busted, what did you do this time?" Ferb saw a light pass by the door to the den. _Must be Mum or Dad._ He thought then his mother spoke. "It's the wind storm Candace, it knocked the power out."

A light was shone into the den, and then Lawrence spoke. "Put your coat and shoes on son, we're going out for dinner." Ferb stood up and made his way back to the front door. As he was zipping up his coat there was a knock on the door, he opened it to reveal Vivian Garcia-Shapiro. "Good evening Ferb. Look how tall you've gotten." Ferb nodded and smiled at his neighbour as he stepped aside to let her in out of the storm. "Follow the light source and you'll find my parents." Vivian ruffled his hair. "You're such a sweet boy Ferb. Don't ever change."

Vivian walked further into the house. "Linda, the storm knocked out the power to the whole block." Lawrence came out of the garage. "We're going out for dinner, Isabella and yourself are more than welcome to join us." He said. Ferb heard this and nodded. _Of course they're invited to come along; my parents are the most generous people in town. It comes back to them ten-fold though. Karma._ He thought as he went to stand by the car

It didn't take long for everyone to get ready and out to the restaurant.

The restaurant was in one of the parts of town that still had power. Everyone was seated and handed menus. "Put your phone away Candace, you're at the table." Linda said to her daughter. Phineas and Isabella were still planning Gretchen's party. "You're going to be there, right Ferb?" Isabella inquired and Ferb shook his head. "But you have to... after what happened today." She said slowly causing Ferb's eyes to narrow before he cast his gaze to the table.

"What happened today dear?" Linda asked as she looked at Ferb. Phineas took the opportunity to reply. "Ferb and Gretchen were..." Ferb's head shot up. "Talking. We were talking. Isabella forgot her best friend's birthday. Gretchen was upset and we were talking." He said forcefully. _I'm not ready to tell anyone, Isabella and Phineas especially, that she might now my girlfriend._ He thought to himself as Vivian started reminding her daughter that best friends are hard to come by.

Not long after Ferb's outburst, as he was once again thinking about Gretchen and how much he cares about her, he heard a now familiar voice behind him. "Ferb." His eyes went wide and his head shot up as he turned around in his seat and looked up at the man who frightened him more in a few hours than anyone has successfully done in his entire life. "Mr. Weiss, sir."

Gretchen and her mother were standing in the restaurant's entrance waiting to be seated.


	9. Chapter 9

"Will, good to see you again." Lawrence said as he stood up in greeting, causing Ferb's eyes to widen further. "Please, join us." He finished and signalled a waiter over. Ferb turned around and saw Gretchen and her mother walk over.

Isabella insisted on sitting beside Gretchen, causing Ferb to switch seats with her so that he was now between Isabella and Phineas. Will scanned the seating arrangements. "I think that the four teens should sit across from each other, not all down one side of the table. How could they possibly hold a conversation?" He said and Gretchen smiled a little as Phineas, Ferb Isabella and herself stood up and switched seats around with Vivian and Candace. Ferb was still seated beside his brother, but was now directly across from Gretchen.

Everyone placed their orders and conversations resumed. Isabella kept apologising to Gretchen, who said that everything was alright. Gretchen then looked up at Ferb sitting across from her. "Are you guys getting together tomorrow?" Ferb shook his head and Phineas answered for him. "He's got fencing practice tomorrow then he's in tournament all weekend. I've got some work to do around the house, so I'm busy." He said, keeping his hands under the table and Isabella followed up with her excuse. "I've got some homework to finish up then I've got some... my mother wants me to help her out with something."

Gretchen had the feeling the only excuse she truly believed was Ferb's.

Dinner arrived and everyone ate and continued with their conversations. Lawrence called down the table. "Ferb, you never said you'd met Will and Trudy." This was the most inopportune time for that question to be asked, Ferb was in mid bite and inhaled sharply. The bite of food got stuck in his throat and he couldn't breathe. He then tried to cough and then started choking. Phineas hit him sharply on the back and Gretchen sprang from her seat and was going to help when, Ferb suddenly stopped moving. Phineas quickly grabbed him and leaned over as he pushed his brother forward so Ferb was doubled over. Ferb gave a final cough then took a couple of shaky breaths.

"Bro, you okay?" Phineas asked at the same time Gretchen hugged Ferb tight with tears in her eyes. Relieved, Ferb hugged her back, then started to relax a little. "Are you sure you're okay? Do you need anything? Glass of water?" She fired the questions at him faster than he could respond. Ferb nodded and waved his hands in a 'don't bother' motion. Gretchen looked directly at him. "Oh, Ferb." She said before she kissed him and he tightened his hold on her.

Almost everyone at the table sat in shock, only Trudy and Will Weiss knew about the two teens. "Gretchen!" Isabella said astounded, startling her friend causing Gretchen to blush. Phineas' eyes went wide. "Ferb?" He inquired. Ferb flushed bright red. Candace was at a loss for words, though her jaw was hanging open. Vivian and Linda just smiled and Lawrence was the one who spoke. "I'm sorry son. I would've thought you might have said something." Ferb closed his eyes tight, willing everyone to disappear.

Isabella and Phineas kept shooting questions at both Gretchen and Ferb. After the fifth time they were asked "How long have you guys been dating?" Ferb's fist finally hit the table. "I asked her to be my girlfriend three hours ago." He said as he glared at everyone but Gretchen. "But, Ferb. Why didn't you say anything?" Phineas asked, genuinely curious; this earned another glare from his brother.

"Ferb," Will called down the table. "I'd like to apologise for making you uncomfortable earlier." He said and Ferb offered a slight smile and a nod in response. Gretchen looked over to her father. "Thank you." She said as she gave her boyfriend another hug.

The rest of dinner passed in silence.

Ferb got into his mother's car and sat in the back seat along with Candace. Phineas, Isabella and Vivian took the middle bench and Linda and Lawrence were in the front. Isabella turned around and looked directly at Ferb. "What do you see in Gretchen?" Phineas and Candace both commented in unison. "Isabella!" The girl rolled her eyes and shook her head. "Fine. What does she see in you?" Ferb hung his head and examined a spot on the back on the seat in front.

Isabella continued to look at Ferb, waiting for an answer. "Well? What does she see in you?" Ferb shook his head. "I don't know." He whispered. "You're right..." He started when Candace put her arm around his shoulders, then asked her own question to Isabella. "What do you see in Phineas?" Flustered, Isabella turned to face forward. "That's not a fair question."

Ferb waited for everyone else to exit the car, he then quietly made his way up to his shared room and got ready for bed. The storm had lessened and the power had come back on; Phineas was re-setting the alarm-clock. "You asked Gretchen to be your girlfriend?" He inquired as he put the clock back on the table. Ferb didn't respond, he got into bed and pulled the covers tight around himself. "Come on Ferb, you can tell me." Phineas pried and started throwing small objects at his brother.

Ferb rolled over and sat up glaring at his brother. "It doesn't matter. Isabella's right, I don't deserve a girlfriend." Phineas sat on his bed and leaned forward. "I think that you and Gretchen make a good couple. I just wanted to know if you really liked her that way." He said, Ferb nodded and Phineas continued. "She was really worried about you when you started choking."

The next morning Ferb awoke and got ready for his fencing practice and Phineas got himself ready to plan and help set up the party for Gretchen.

Gretchen's alarm didn't go off, but at 7am her mind woke her up. She lay in bed with a headache; she then remembered how her and Ferb had lain, looking into each other's eyes before he kissed her. She imagined him beside her running his fingers through her hair and whispering to her. She then imagined his arms pulling her close and him leaning in to kiss her.

After a while Gretchen got out of bed and got ready for the day. _At least there's no school today._ She thought to herself as she ate her breakfast and pulled out her phone.

Gretchen called Isabella. "Morning Chief." She greeted as Isabella picked up her phone. "Do you want to get together later? I see, okay." Gretchen walked over to the sink and placed her dishes as she listened to Isabella. "What do I see in Ferb? What's that supposed to mean? What does he see in me? I... I don't know." Gretchen said then hung up the phone.

Gretchen spent the day reading her new book.

Saturday morning, Gretchen woke up. She was angry and upset at everyone; she decided to head to the coffee shop in search of something, she couldn't even put her finger on what it was she was looking for. While there, Katie came in and sat with her. Gretchen glanced up at her friend. "Gretchen, I shouldn't be saying this…" Katie started before being interrupted. "Then don't." Gretchen shot back, causing the blonde's face to fall and tears to start forming in her eyes. "Isabella's planned out a huge party for you." She said. Gretchen just sat and looked at her with a fork-full of cake half-way between the plate and her mouth. Katie then continued. "You're supposed to be happy today, it's your birthday." She said, Gretchen shook her head then reminded her friend. "My birthday was two days ago."

Katie's expression went from hurt to horrified. "Isabella said that..." Gretchen shook her head. "Isabella's said a lot of things lately. She forgot. Plain and simple, it was probably Ferb who reminded her." She said as her voice hitched on the last part. Katie's head tilted to the side. "Why would Ferb remind her?" Gretchen tried to calm herself a little by taking a few sips of her hot chocolate. "He's the only one who remembered. That's what I see in him, he pays attention to small details and makes me feel special." She said as she looked up at her friend.

Katie absentmindedly took another piece of cake from Gretchen. "You guys are going out? That's great, you have so much in common. I wish I could just sit and talk for hours with a guy. I'd run out of things to say, though. You on the other hand, you've got so much to talk about. So when did you start dating?" Gretchen's eyes widened. "What makes you think all we do is talk?" Katie's eyes widened and Gretchen continued "He asked me to be his girlfriend two days ago."

The two girls talked for another half-hour. "You have to come back with me to Isabella's." Katie pleaded with Gretchen who sighed. "Fine."

The two girls walked back to Maple Drive. "Just wait here a moment." Katie said as she walked into the Garcia-Shapiro house. Gretchen stood outside and a chilly autumn wind started to pick up again. She turned around and noticed that a car was pulling into the driveway across the street. Ferb and his father got out of the car and started heading toward their house when Gretchen started running in their direction. "Ferb!" She called.

Ferb paused in step and turned around. Gretchen caught up to him, stopped and looked up at him. "How's the tournament?" She inquired and he shook his head. "What happened?" Gretchen asked, concerned. "I don't know, I..." Ferb said as he looked into her eyes. "I..." He tried, gave up, pulled her close and kissed her. "I'm not going to listen to Isabella anymore." He said with a smile.

Gretchen walked with Ferb into the Flynn-Fletcher house. He took her coat, hung it up and they went into the kitchen. Gretchen took a seat at the table. "Isabella asked me what I see in you. She then asked me what you see in me." Gretchen commented sadly and Ferb nodded. "She asked me the same thing the other night." She looked up with a smile when he passed her a drink. "What did you say?" Gretchen inquired. Ferb took a seat and tried reaching for one of Gretchen's hands. "Isabella wanted to know what you saw in me. I had to tell her 'I don't know.' Candace then shut her up by asking what she saw in Phineas." He stated, causing Gretchen to smile and laugh a little.

The pair sat and chatted for a while.

Phineas came into the kitchen and saw Gretchen laughing lightly and Ferb smiling. "What's this?" Phineas asked. Ferb looked up at his brother and Gretchen turned around. "We're just talking." She replied and Ferb nodded. Phineas looked from one to the other and back a few times. "Gretchen, Isabella's really sorry about the other day. She's organised a party for you, everyone's there... We're just waiting for the guest of honour." She stood up, followed by Ferb who stood behind her and placed his hands on her waist. "Phineas, I appreciate that." She then looked over her shoulder at Ferb. "Will you come to the party?" Ferb pondered the question a moment. "As your friend, or your date?" Gretchen smiled and leaned into him. "As my boyfriend." She replied looking up at him. Ferb nodded and left to get ready.

Phineas stepped further into the kitchen and took Ferb's vacated seat. "Gretchen," He said, and once he had her attention, he continued. "...as I told Ferb the other night, I think you guys make a great couple. I noticed how concerned you were about him when he was choking." She nodded. "I'm so sorry, Phineas, I should have done something. Just a few days ago Ferb helped me with a First Aid demonstration for my Fireside Girls' Troop... I just froze. He..." She started to falter her words and Phineas patted her hand. "It's okay; Gretchen, relax. I think you should know something. Ferb didn't actually admit it, but I think he's in love with you." He said, his voice hushed. Gretchen nervously smiled. "Thank you." She whispered.

Ferb came back into the kitchen, wearing a shirt and tie with his jeans, and extended his hand toward Gretchen who took it and stood up. Phineas pulled out his phone and placed a call.


	10. Chapter 10

The three donned their coats and shoes, then went across the street to Isabella's house. Phineas opened the door and held it for Gretchen and his brother. The rest of the party-goers were playing various games and eating snacks. "There you are Gretchen. We've been waiting for you." Katie said as she came over and hugged her friend. Isabella soon appeared. "I'm so sorry Gretchen." She said then turned to Ferb. "I thought you weren't coming." Ferb's eyes became cold and Gretchen stepped over and leaned into him. "He's my boyfriend, Isabella." She said and Ferb cautiously, yet casually, placed his hand on her back. Isabella smiled at him and grabbed Phineas by the hand and dragged him further into the living room.

A group of girls came up to Gretchen and pulled her into the thick of things. Ferb leaned against the wall and scanned the room. He then stepped into the kitchen and sat down. Buford came in and got himself a drink. "It's hot out there." He commented and he leaned against the counter, drink in hand. Ferb shrugged. "So, you and Gretchen are an item now?" Buford inquired and Ferb nodded. "So, why is she out there and you're in here?" Ferb looked up at his friend and Buford continued. "Isabella... right. She really messed up didn't she. I mean, it was Dinner-bell who told me that you told her that she totally missed Gretchen's birthday. The poor girl must have been devastated." He said then quickly finished as he saw Ferb's eyebrow start to disappear. "Not that I care. I was invited to finish off the cake."

Vivian and Isabella had hung a piñata over the upstairs banister and Gretchen was given the honour of taking the first swing. She was blindfolded and given a broom handle. Isabella and Adyson spun her around and everyone cheered as she tried to take a swing at it. Everyone else, in the room, took a turn. It was then Gretchen's turn again, she was spun around and the handle connected with the piñata and the contents spilled out and onto the floor.

Buford had re-joined the party just in time to dive in and collect some of the candies and prizes. Gretchen escaped the human knot of arms reaching for the spoils of the piñata, and looked around for her boyfriend. She stepped into the kitchen and saw him sitting at the table. "Are you okay?" She inquired of him as she came up beside him. Ferb nodded his head and wrapped his arm around her waist. "Are you having fun?" She asked with a smile and he nodded again.

Isabella walked into the kitchen looking for another bag of chips. "Between Buford and Phineas all the chips are gone, again." She complained. "Why are you guys here? The party's in the living room." Ferb pulled Gretchen onto his lap. "We're okay at the moment Iz." Gretchen said with a slight giggle. "What did you get out of the piñata, Gretchen?" Isabella inquired and Gretchen shook her head. I got out of the wave of people before I got crushed."

Isabella stood there with her hand covering her mouth for a moment, she then pulled something out of her pocket. "Here, it's a couple of gift certificates to..." She looked at them. "... the cupcake shop and the bookstore. Hey, perfect. You can have them." Isabella said as she handed them over to Gretchen. "Thanks Isabella, are you sure?"

Gretchen went back to the party with Ferb. He was pulled into a game of "Musical Twister", after a few minutes he extracted himself from that and went to sit on the couch. Phineas came over and sat beside him. "Hey, Bro. Some party huh?" Ferb nodded. "So, are you and Gretchen going to be doing anything later?" Phineas inquired and Ferb shrugged his shoulders. "Isabella was wondering if..." Ferb turned and silenced his brother with a stare. Phineas looked sheepish for a moment. "Yeah, the other night didn't go so well. I'm sorry, I should have said something. Though, in my defence you're not exactly a fountain of information."

"Time for cake, then presents." Isabella announced and went to get the cake from the kitchen. Gretchen tried to make her way over to sit with Ferb, but she was pulled down to sit with her former Fireside Girls' troop. As Isabella came back everyone sang 'Happy Birthday' to Gretchen. As everyone ate their cake, the girls kept asking Gretchen questions about Ferb, being a Jr. Leader, Ferb, school and Ferb. She kept nodding her head and glancing in the general direction of where Ferb was sitting. She glanced away to answer a quick question that Holly asked and when she looked back toward the couch, Ferb wasn't there.

Isabella and Adyson started handing presents over to the birthday girl, everyone 'Oohed and Awwed' at the new DVDs and the new touch screen, they giggled at the gift cards to her favourite book store and nodded appreciatively at the photo collage Isabella put together from all the adventures they had together as Fireside Girls.

Gretchen gave her friends hugs as she tried to make her way around the room to find Ferb. He wasn't in the living room, nor was he in the kitchen. "Phineas?" She asked as she caught up with him. "Have you seen Ferb in the past few minutes?" He cast his eyes downward. "He went home, he said he wasn't feeling well." Gretchen tried not to cry. Phineas noticed, waived Isabella over and placed his arm around the shorter girl. "Here's my phone, call him." He said as he directed her toward the stairs. Isabella looked at them with her head cocked to the side. Phineas sighed, "Ferb went home, can you take her upstairs so she can have some privacy to call him."

Isabella soon returned and kissed Phineas. "What was that for?" He asked. "Letting your brother leave. Every time I looked around he was just sitting there with a dark cloud over his head." She replied. Phineas took Isabella by the hand and walked into the kitchen. "Izy, the other night..." He started and she rolled her eyes. "You're not still going on about that are you?" He nodded. "I have to. Some things were said that shouldn't have been said. I don't know what happened, though I do know that Ferb's tournament was supposed to last all weekend. He was home early, _unusually_ early." He said. "Then Gretchen wasn't even given the chance to spend any time with him at her own party. I was there when she asked if he would come with her as her boyfriend. It sounded, to me, as though she wanted to spend time with him." Isabella looked at him. "Well, why didn't he join the party then? He could have and then everyone would have had fun."

Gretchen came into the kitchen and handed Phineas his phone back. "Thank you." She said with a small smile then turned to Isabella. "Thank you. I mean it, but I should be heading home." Isabella and Phineas shared a quick look. "You're not going to see Ferb?" He asked, astounded, and Gretchen shook her head. "He said he wants to be alone." Phineas' eyes went wide. "I've gotta go, I'll see you later Iz." He ran out the kitchen door into the back yard, then home. "What's that all about?" Isabella asked and Gretchen sighed. "I don't know."

Isabella grabbed Gretchen by the shoulders and turned to face her. "If you're his girlfriend, you have every right to know what's wrong." Gretchen shook her head. "Sometimes, people just need..." Isabella interrupted her. "If he really wants you as his girlfriend, he'd tell you what's wrong. Then you can help him." Isabella released Gretchen and pulled together some cake, cookies and other assorted snacks from the party. "Take these across the street and find out what his problem is."

Gretchen was shoved out the door with a plate full of party food in her hands. Another storm was picking up. Gretchen made her way across the street to the Flynn-Fletcher house. She cast her gaze to the ground as she rang the doorbell with her elbow.

Ferb was trying to read in his room. _I've been taken off the team. The tournament was cancelled due to an investigation into judging practices. Even practices are cancelled indefinitely._ He thought to himself as he folded a pillow behind his head. _I should send Gretchen a text, I left her party without saying anything to her._ He put his book down and reached into his pocket for his phone, it wasn't there. Exasperated, he fully sat up, got off his bed and went over to his desk.

Phineas and Lawrence were in the garage. "...and that's why the entire tournament was cancelled." Lawrence said. Phineas continued to sort through his father's "bucket of bits". "So, Ferb doesn't know?" He asked and his father shook his head. "No, the team members were told on an individual basis that they were off the team due to an investigation. They weren't told that the investigation is sport-wide into the judging practices dating back ten years. I told Ferb that it had nothing to do with him, it was the judges and their favouritism towards certain students. He'll have the opportunity to re-test for his level three within a few months." Lawrence said. Phineas picked up a small pile of bolts and put them away. "You mean he could have been level three; but because someone was being bigoted, he's not been given the recognition he deserves. One would think there was a better way around that, a standard set of moves and skills that need to be achieved before advancement can take place." Lawrence nodded. "There is a list of criteria that needs to be met."

Linda was in the kitchen preparing dinner for her family when the doorbell rang. She walked through to the entrance and opened the door. "Gretchen, come in out of the storm dear." She said as she took the plate out of the girl's hands and closed the door behind her. "Ferb, dear. You've got a visitor." Linda called out then invited Gretchen into the living room. "I'm sure he'll be down in a moment."

Gretchen nervously stepped further into the house and saw a set of feet followed by legs descend the stairs. She looked to the floor then closed her eyes tight. _I shouldn't be here, I should have just gone home. I could have tried sending him a text after dinner._ A hand was placed on her shoulder. "Gretchen, I'm happy to see you." Ferb said as he hugged her tight. "I'm sorry I left the party without saying anything, I thought I could get through it... I just couldn't. Then I couldn't get near enough to you to say anything." He said as he walked with her into the den.

Ferb and Gretchen sat and talked. "So, that's what's been bothering you." She said and he nodded sadly.

Phineas walked past the den, and looked in, on his way to the bathroom to wash up. He came back down the hallway and entered the den to see his brother's arms wrapped around Gretchen, pulling her close. He glanced at his watch. "The record for kissing is over two and a half days guys." He said with a grin as Gretchen's head suddenly fell and buried itself into Ferb's chest. "Oh, you were just trying to break the hugging record? That's just twenty-four and a half hours." Phineas joked with his brother who was glaring at him. "Lighten up! I'm trying here Ferb, and you're not making it easy."

A frantic knock was heard at the front door. Laughing at his brother's expense, Phineas went to answer it. "Isabella, what are you doing here?" She barged passed him and closed the door against the wind. "You left in such a hurry, you forgot your coat." She said, cheeks flushed as she handed his coat over. "I would have been here sooner, but I had to clean up. Everyone left and I had no help." Phineas took his coat, hung it up and escorted her into the living room. "Everyone said they had a good time, despite everything." She said as she took a seat, and finally a breath. Phineas smiled at her, _People say that I talk too fast._ He thought. "Would you like something to drink? I think Mom's got some sodas or juice in the fridge." He asked her. Isabella shook her head and pulled him down to sit with her. "I just want to sit for a while." She said as she nuzzled up against him.

Gretchen leaned into the sofa and rested her head against Ferb's shoulder. "I should be heading home soon." She said. Ferb ran his fingers through her hair. "Would you like to go to the movies later?" He asked as he watched her. Gretchen turned and looked into his blue eyes. "I've got a Fireside Girls' meeting to supervise this evening." She said sadly. Ferb leaned in to kiss her. "What about after?" He whispered with a smile. "I promise to be in a better mood." He finished and Gretchen grinned back. "I'd like that." She said and passionately kissed him.

Sunday afternoon, Phineas and Isabella were out; so Ferb invited Gretchen over. "I love Isabella like a sister, but, oh my goodness... she can be intense." Gretchen commented and Ferb agreed. They sat and talked about the party. Gretchen had brought over a couple of the DVDs she had received and they watched them.

Phineas and Isabella came back and walked into the den half-way through the second movie. "All this rain is ruining my hair." Isabella complained, causing Phineas to smile at her. "I don't care, you're still the most beautiful girl here." Ferb leaned over to Gretchen. "That's his opinion." He whispered in her ear.

Phineas and Isabella left at the end of the movie to go upstairs. Ferb took this opportunity to kiss Gretchen.

Linda knocked on the door frame to the den causing Ferb to look up. He then closed his eyes tight and blushed in embarrassment. "It's okay Ferb, I was just talking with Trudy and Gretchen can stay for dinner tonight. Her father will pick her up later." Linda said and left. "Dinner's in 20 minutes." She called back.

After dinner, unbeknownst to Linda, Phineas and Isabella went upstairs. Ferb and Gretchen made it known that they could be found in the den, if needed.

Gretchen and Ferb were once again, cuddled up on the couch, under a blanket as they tried watching some television. They were so focused on each other they didn't hear the doorbell, nor did they hear Will Weiss as he stepped into the room.

"Gretchen!" He called causing Ferb to fall off the couch. He looked up and scooted as fast as he could across the room. "Mr. Weiss, sir. I'm sorry sir, it'll never happen again." Will started to laugh as his daughter sat up, hair dishevelled. "It had better happen again." He said then turned to Lawrence, who was standing beside him shaking his head.

Ferb stood up, then went back and helped Gretchen to her feet. He walked with her to the front door avoiding eye contact with their fathers. He helped her with her coat, then nervously looked over his shoulder before whispering to her. "I love you Gretchen." She smiled at him "I love you too, Ferb."

**The End**


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